Kr 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA, 

•31 PT   OF 

Class 


'AN  -  'BSflOVHAS 

SM3MVW 

'SOUS    QU01AVQ 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 


-AND-V-— 


EDWIN  M.  STANTON. 


A  D  D  R  E  S  S 

^Delivered  before  Ijumside  Jjost,  JHo.  8,  \ 
DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  POTOMAC,  G.  A.  R., 
25,  1889, 


COMRADE  THOMAS  M.  VINCENT, 


ASSISTANT  ADJUTANT  GENERAL,  AND  BRIGADIER  GENERAL  BY  BREVET,  u.  S.  A. 


Published  by  Burns ide  Post,  No.  8,  Department  of  the  Potomac,  G.  A.  R., 
Washington,  Uf.  C. 


Copyright  1890. 


Commander,  Comrades,  and  Guests  of  Burnside  Post : 

Men  are  known  by  their  works,  and,  therefore,  in  giving 
some  attention  this  evening  to  events  connected  with  Abraham 
Lincoln  and  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  to 
refer  to  some  of  their  great  labors  from  1861  to  1865. 

George  Bancroft,  on  a  most  memorable  occasion,  after  refer 
ring  to  the  prediction  of  a  West  Jersey  Quaker,  120  years 
before,  that  the  consequence  of  importing  slaves  would  "be 
grievous  to  posterity."  and  the  language  of  Patrick  Henry,  in 
1773,  that  a  serious  view  of  the  subject  "gives  a  gloomy  pros 
pect  to  future  times,"  continued  by  quoting,  in  connection  with 
efforts  for  emancipation  and  abolition,  words  of  despair  from 
Washington,  Jefferson,  Madison,  and  others,  and  rocit^d  how 
the  enslavement  of  the  African  resulted  in  a  storm,  adding: 

"The  storm  rose  to  a  whirlwind  ;  who  should  allay  its  wrath  ? 
The  most  experienced  statesman  of  the  country  had  failed ; 
there  was  no  hope  from  those  who  were  great  in  the  flesh  ; 
could  relief  come  from  one  whose  wisdom  was  like  the  wisdom 
of  little  children  ? 

"The  choice  of  America  fell  on  a  man  born  west  of  the  Alle- 
ghenies,  in  the  cabin  of  poor  people  of  Hardin  County,  Kentucky 
— Abraham  Lincoln." 

As  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Army  and  Navy  he  was  soon 
confronted  with  civil  war,  and  recognized  the  aphorism  : 

"The  sole  object  of  a  just  war  is  to  make  the  enemy  feel  the 
evils  of  his  injustice,  and,  by  his  sufferings,  amend  his  ways ; 
he  must,  therefore,  be  attacked  in  the  most  accessible  quarter." 

But  in  April,  1861,  the  Government  of  the  United  States 
was,  for  the  purpose  of  war,  paralyzed.  It  had  not,  practically, 
an  army  to  maintain  its  authority,  and  was  far  from  being  able 
to  attack  the  "accessible  quarter"  of  an  internal  enemy,  in  con 
spiracy  over  an  area  of  733,144  square  miles,  connected  with 
a  shore  line  of  25,144  miles ;  a  coast  line  of  3,523  miles,  and  an 
interior  boundary  of  7,031  miles. 


227182 


Had  the  people  of  the  United  States,  through  Congress,  been 
more  thoughtful  concerning  the  object  of,  and  necessity  for,  the 
military  arm,  paralysis  would  have  been  avoided  through  the; 
availability  of  a  suitable  force  to  crush  the  initial  of  the  rebel 
lion,  and  the  State,  in  combat  with  its  own  children,  would  have 
been  spared  a  great  sacrifice  of  human  life — including  that  of 
the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Army  arid  .Navy — aside  from  a 
debt  of  §2,718,656,173.13  incident  to  and  arising  from  the  war. 
All  this  independently  of  a  pension  debt,  from  1861  to  1875,  of 
§279, 79 1, 465. 36,  and  since  then  largely  increased.  For  the 
coming  fiscal  year,  alone,  there  will  be  an  addition  of  $80,473,000. 

Early  in  the  struggle  the  question  was  not :  What  will  it 
cost?  but,  can  the  Government  be  saved,  at  any  cost?  The 
patient  was  very  ill !  Commendable  and  essential  economy  was 
forced  to  disappear  from  the  grasp  of  the  people! 

The  life  of  the  patient  was  saved,  but  the  doctor's  bill  has  not 
yet  been  paid  !  Nor  can  that  bill  be  paid  in  dollars  to  the 
armies  of  the  United  States,  represented  now  throughout  the 
broad  expanse  of  the  land  by  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Kepublic. 
Pensions  have  been  and  will  be  granted  members  of  our  char 
itable,  fraternal  and  loyal  organization,  and  to  others,  inclusive 
of  the  widow,  outside  of  it;  but  however  large  the  generosity 
of  the  people  may  make  the  amounts,  the  compensation  will  not 
be  adequate  to  meet  the  services  and  attendant  sufferings  of  the 
soldiers  who  have  made  it  possible,  in  the  government  of 
65,000,000  of  people,  for  a  President  to  hold  his  office  and  a 
Congress  to  enact  the  necessary  laws, 

Powerless,  however,  as  the  Government  then  was  to  over 
come  the  gigantic  attack  on  its  life,  there  was,  fortunately,  a 
grand  latent  power,  awaiting  for  its  development  only  the 
demand  of  the  national  heart,  ond  the  regular  army  to  educate 
it  and  prepare  it  for  service.  After  about  seven  months  of 
preparation  that  power  was  manifested  under  an  organization 
numbering  640,637  officers  and  enlisted  men — the  volunteer 
army  of  the  United  States,  with  its  elements  of  patriotism, 
wisdom,  courage  and  moderation. 


During  its  organization  Simon  Cameron  was  at  the  head  ot 
the  Department  of  War,  and  it  cannot  be  denied  that  he 
achieved  grand  and  valuable  results  at  a  time  when  his  depart 
ment  had  to  encounter  great  embarrassments.  He  has  said  : 
"How  difficult  it  was  to  fill  the  position  of  Secretary  of  War 
none  but  myself  can  ever  know.  *  *  It  was  a  terrible  time." 

The  difficulty  was  to  restrain  the  volunteers  from  exceeding 
the  actual  force  required ;  and  while  men  were  tendered  so 
generously,  we  were  unprepared  for  the  brewing  conflict  and 
absolutely  without  the  essentials  to  engage  in  war — without 
guns,  powder,  saltpetre,  bullets  and  other  needed  stores. 

In  the  recruitment  of  that  powerful  force,  and  its  subsequent 
great  increase,  the  people  made  great  sacrifices.  '  The  Presi 
dent  was  led  along  by  the  greatness  of  their  self- sacrificing 
example,  and  as  a  child,  in  a  dark  night  on  a  rugged  way, 
catches  hold  of  the  hand  of  its  father  for  guidance  and  support, 
he  clung  fast  to  the  hand  of  the  people  and  moved  calmly 
through  the  gloom." 

MOBILIZATION. 

In  connection  with  the  mobilization,  it  must  be  remembered 
that  January  1st,  1861,  the  authorized  army  of  the  United 
States  consisted  of  two  regiments  of  dragoons,  two  regiments  of 
cavalry,  one  regiment  of  mounted  riflemen,  four  regiments  of 
artillery,  and  ten  regiments  of  infantry — aggregating,  present 
and  absent,  16,402  commissioned  officers  and  enlisted  men, 
inclusive  of  the  general  officers  and  general  staff. 

April  15th  of  that  year  it  was  officially  promulgated  by  the 
President  that  revolutionary  combinations  existed  in  certain 
States,  and  75,000  militia,  for  three  months'  service,  were  called 
to  suppress  said  combinations,  and  to  cause  the  laws  to  be  duly 
executed.  In  addition,  all  loyal  citizens  were  appealed  to,  that 
they  might  favor,  facilitate,  and  aid  the  effort  to  maintain  the 
honor,  the  integrity,  and  the  existence  of  our  National  Union, 
and  the  perpetuity  of  our  popular  government,  and  to  redress 
wrongs  already  long  enough  endured.  The  President  deemed 


it  proper  to  add  that  the  first  service  of  the  forces  would, 
probably,  be  to  repossess  the  forts,  places  and  property  which 
had  been  seized  from  the  Union,  and  directed  that  in  every 
event;  consistently  with  the  objects  he  had  referred  to,  care 
should  be  taken  to  avoid  any  devastation,  any  destruction  of,  or 
interference  with,  property,  or  any  disturbance  of  peaceful  cit 
izens  in  any  part  of  the  country. 

When  the  President  took  this  first  decided  action  agaiustthe 
rebellion,  the  danger  threatening  the  seat  of  government  will 
be  indicated  by  the  following  : 

HEADQUARTERS  OF  THE  ARMY, 

WASHINGTON,  April  26,  1861. 
GENERAL  ORDERS,  ) 
No.  4.  j 

I.  From  the  known  assemblage  near  this  city  of  numerous 
hostile  bodies  of  trooDS,  it  is  evident  that  an  attack  upon  it  may 
soon  be  expected.     In  such  an  event,  to  meet  and  repel  the 
enemy,  it  is  necessary  that  some  plan  of  harmonious  co-operation 
should  be  adopted  on  the  part  of  all  the  forces,  regular  or  vol 
unteer,  present  for  the  defense  of  the  Capital — that  is,  for  the 
defense  of  the  Government,  the  peaceful  inhabitants  of  the  city, 
their  property,  the  public  buildings  and  public  archives 

II.  At  the  first  moment  of  an  attack  every  regiment,  bat 
talion,  squadron  and  independent  company  will  promptly  assem 
ble  at  its  established  rendezvous,  (in  or  out  of  the  public  build 
ings,)  ready  for  battle,  and  wait  for  orders. 

III.  The  piquets    (or  advanced  guards)  will  stand  fast  till 
driven  in  by  overwhelming  forces  ;  but  it  is  expected  that  those 
stationed  to  defend  bridges — having  every  advantage  of  position 
—will  not  give  way  till  actually  pushed  by  the  bayonet.     Such 
obstinacy   on   the   part  of   piquets    so  stationed  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  give  time  for  the  troops  in  the  rear  {o  assemble  at 
their  places  of  rendezvous. 

IV.  All  advance  guards  and  piquets  driven  in  will  fall  back 
slowly  to  delay  the  advance  of  the  enemy  as  much  as  possible, 
before  repairing  to  their  proper  rendezvous. 

V.  On  the  happening  of  an  attack,  the  troops  lodged  in  the 
public  buildings  and  in  the  Navy  Yard  will  remain  for  their 
defense,  respectively,  unless  specially  ordered  elsewhere,  with 
the  exceptions  that  the  7th  New  York  regiment  and  the  Mas- 


Sactmsetts  regiment  will  march  rapidly  towards  the  President's 
Square  for  its  defense ;  and  the  Ehode  Island  regiment  (in  the 
Department  of  the  Interior)  when  full,  will  make  a  diversion, 
by  detachment,  to  assist  in  the  defense  of  the  General  Post 
Office  building,  if  necessary. 

WINFIELD  SCOTT. 

May  3d  the  President  deemed  it  indispensably  necessary  to 
further  augment  the  forces  by  42,034  three-year  volunteers) 
(39  regiments  of  infantry,  and  1  of  cavalry,)  and  22,714  officers 
and  enlisted  men,  regulars,  (8  regiments  of  infantry,  1  of  cav 
alry,  and  1  of  artillery,)  thus  making  the  forces,  exclusive  of 
the  Navy,  authorized  for  the  protection  of  the  National  Consti 
tution  and  the  preservation  of  the  .National  Union  by  the  sup 
pression  of  the  insurrectionary  combinations  then  existing,  as 
follows : 

Eegular  army,  (January  1,  1861,)  16,402 

Militia,  (April  15,  1861.,)  ....      75,000 

Regulars  and  volunteers,  (May  3,  1861,)         .  64,748 

Total,          .  156,150 

The  call  ior  militia  was  more  than  met ;  91,816  men  were 
furnished,  and  the  call  for  40  regiments  of  volunteers  was 
exceeded — 71  regiments  of  infantry,  1  of  heavy  artillery,  and 
10  batteries  of  light  artillery,  were  accepted  and  mustered  into 
service  before  July  1st. 

In  July  the  magnitude  of  the  unlawful  violence  had  fully 
dawned,  and  it  was  clearly  apparent  that  the  measures  author 
ized  for  the  impartial  enforcement  of  constitutional  laws,  and 
for  the  speedy  restoration  of  peace  and  order,  had  failed.  Con 
gress  assembled  and  authorized  the  President  to  accept  500,000 
volunteers,  for  three  years  or  the  war.  Subsequently  extended 
latitude,  as  to  the  acceptance,  was  conferred  in  that  "previous 
proclamation"  was  done  away  with,  and  the  volunteers  were 
authorized  to  be  accepted  in  such  numbers,  from  any  State  or 
States,  as  in  his  (the  President's)  discretion  the  public  service 
might  require. 


6 

January  15,  1862,  Edwin  M.  Stan  ton  became  Secretary  of 
War,  and  through  his  stimulus  the  recruitment  was  so  energet 
ically  pressed  by  the  people  that,  April  3d,  1862,  the  forces 
were  deemed  sufficient  to  overcome  the  rebellion.  At  this 
time,  had  any  one  said  it  would  require  2,678,697  enlistments, 
from  first  to  last,  and  an  increase  of  the  volunteer  forces,  in 
service  at  one  time,  to  1,034,064,  in  order  that  armed  resistance 
to  the  Government  might  be  overthrown,  the  assertion  would 
have  been  considered  as  marking  insanity.  It  will  be  recalled 
that  early  in  1861,  an  officer,  with  fame  now  world-wide,  urged 
the  calling  out  of  300,000  men,  and  more  than  one  person 
alleged  him  to  be  under  a  visitation  ot  insanity — a  subject  fit 
'for  the  institution  having  for  its  object  "the  most  humane  care 
and  enlightened  curative  treatment  of  the  insane  of  the  army." 
And  when  Simon  Cameron  advised  that  500,000  men  should 
be  raised,  the  people  laughed  and  thought  he  was  mad. 

June  28th  the  Governors  of  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Ver 
mont,  Connecticut,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania, 
Maryland,  Virginia,  Michigan,  Tennessee,  Missouri,  Indiana, 
Ohio,  Minnesota,  Illinois  and  Wisconsin — also  the  President  of 
the  Military  Board  of  Kentucky — requested  the  President  to 
call  upon  the  several  States  for  such  number  of  men  as  might 
be  required  to  fill  up  all  organizations  in  the  field,  and  to  add 
to  the  armies  then  organized.  The  request  was  based  on  a 
desire  that  the  recent  successes  of  the  Federal  Armies  might  be 
followed  by  measures  which  would  secure  the  speedy  restoration 
of  the  Union,  and  the  belief,  in  view  of  the  important  military 
movements  then  in  progress,  that  the  time  had  arrived  for 
prompt  and  vigorous  measures,  thus  to  speedily  crush  the 
rebellion.  The  decisive  moment  seemed  near  at  hand,  and  the 
people  were  desirous  to  aid,  promptly,  in  furnishing  all  needful 
reinforcements  to  sustain  the  Government. 

The  President  concurred  in  the  wisdom  of  the  views  expressed 
in  the  request,  and,  July  2d,  called  for  300,000  men  for  three 
years.  This  call  for  volunteers  was,  August  4th,  supplemented 


by  one  through  a  draft  for  300,000  militia,  for  nine  months' 
service. 

January  1,  1863,  the  volunteer  forces  numbered  892,728  ; 
January  1,  1864,  that  number  had  been  reduced  to  836,101  ; 
but  on  January  1,  1865,  it  had  been  increased  to  937,441,  and 
on  May  1  to  1,034,064. 

February  24,  1864,  by  act  of  Congress  approved  that  date, 
the  President  was  authorized,  whenever  he  deemed  it  necessary 
during  the  war,  to  call  for  such  number  of  men  for  the  military 
service  of  the  United  States  as  the  public  exigencies  might 
require.  It  established  the  will  of  the  President  as  the 
authority  for  raising  troops,  and  conferred  a  delicate  and. 
mighty  power.  That  expressed  confidence  in  the  President  was 
a  sound  rebuke  to  those  who,  not  much  more  than  one  year 
before,  had  in  contemplation  to  impeach  and  remove  him  from 
office. 

From  first  to  last  2,678,967  men  were  furnished,  and  organ 
ized  into  1,668  regiments,  21  battalions  and  504  independent 
companies  of  infantry ;  232  regiments,  9  battalions  and  122 
independent  companies  of  cavalry ;  and  52  regiments,  6  battal 
ions  and  274  companies  of  artillery. 

The  constant  addition  to  the  forces,  of  new  regiments,  proved 
a  great  element  of  weakness  to  the  armies.  As  a  great  evil,  it 
may  here  be  referred  to. 

Under  every  call,  the  first  act  of  Governors  of  States  was  to  ask 
for  authority  to  raise  new  regiments.  The  desire  of  the  War 
Department  was  to  secure  recruits  for  old  regiments,  and  thus 
maintain  their  organizations.  The  Secretary  of  War,  in  order 
to  a  determined  stand,  secured  in  December,  1864,  the  views  of 
the  General-in-Chief  and  army  commanders.  All  were  in 
support  of  the  opinion  of  the  Secretary  relative  to  the  necessity 
of  recruits  for  old  regiments,  but  the  pressure  of  the  States 
caused  all,  as  on  former  occasions,  to  yield,  and  56  new  regi 
ments  and  129  new  independent  companies,  under  the  call  of 
December  18,  1864,  were  added  to  the  list  of  organizations  in 
service,  in  addition  to  77  new  regiments  and  98  companies  under 


the  call  of  July  18,  1864.  All  this  at  a  time  when  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  alone,  required  80,000  recruits  to  fill  its  organ 
izations  to  the  maximum — some  400,000  would  have  been 
necessary  for  all  the  armies — and  when  experienced 'and  gallant 
Lieutenant-Colonels  and  other  regimental  officers,  bearing  the 
wounds  of  many  battles,  could  not  receive  promotion  owing  to 
the  depleted  state  of  their  commands.  The  subject  was  point 
edly  referred  to  by  the  commander  of  one  of  the  armies  as 
follows : 

''The  raising  of  new  regiments  is  a  means  desired  to  fill  the 
quota  and  avoid  the  draft. 

"There  is  no  intention,  I  suppose,  that  these  new  regiments 
should  serve  the  United  States,  and  their  Colonels  will  hardly 
come  into  contact  with  the  army.  Still,  if  it  be  the  intention 
to  put  these  new  regiments  into  the  field,  where  their  Colonels 
would  have  command  of  older  and  better  regimental  com 
manders,  it  is  a  question  for  the  War  Department  to  determine, 
and  not  mine.  I  must  take  troops  as  they  come  to  me,  and 
respect  the  commissions  they  hold." 

There  is  a  record  of  the  increase,  on  one  occasion,  of  the  Army 
of  France  from  200,000  to  400,000  in  two  months'  time,  and 
had  it  been  thought  proper  to  inaugurate  a  vast  system  of 
defense,  the  number,  it  has  been  said,  could  have  been  raised 
to  700,000  in  four  months — this  under  the  influence  of  extra- 
ordinany  expedients ;  and  the  exertion  was  considered  an  evidence 
of  the  great  energy  and  genius  of  Napoleon,  as  well  as  the 
military  spirit  of  the  French  Nation. 

Marvellous  results  have  been  achived  by  the  United  States, 
as  exemplified  by  what  has  been  recorded  in  the  foregoing,  in 
connection  with  the  following  summary : 

In  2J  montns  in  1861  we  find  an  average  of  almost  100,000 
men  per  month  placed  in  service;  and  during  5  months  the 
average  was  94,061 — this  without  the  aid  of  extraordinary 
expedients  and  in  the  face  of  great  difficulties  in  army  clothing 
and  equipping. 

At  this  early  period  of  the  war  the  difficulties,  in  arming, 
clothing  and  equipping,  were  so  great  that  the' services  of  thou- 


sands  were  declined.  Could  arms,  clothing,  and  equipage  have 
been  secured,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  1,000,000  of  men  could  havo 
been  placed  in  service  within  5  months. 

Lincoln's  adopted  State,  Illinois,  under  the  calls  of  July  2d 
and  August  4th,  1862,  placed  in  service  58,689  men.  Of  that 
number  over  50,000 — from  the  farmers  and  .mechanics  of  the 
State — were  furnished  within  eleven  days. 

"Animated  by  a  common  purpose,  and  firmly  resolved  on 
rescuing  the  Government  (they)  left  their  harvests 

uugathered,  their  tools  on  their  benches,  the  plows  m  the 
furrows;"  thus  making  a  proud  record,  without  a  parallel  in 
the  history  of  the  war.  * 

Under  the  calls  of  July  2d  and  August  4th,  18625,  there  were, 
prior  to  November  21st  of  that  year,  sent  into  the  field  : 

289  regiments  of  infantry,  for  3  years  ; 
58  regiments  of  infantry,  for  9  months ; 
34  batteries  of  artillery,  for  3  years ; 
42  companies  of  cavalry,  for  3  years  ;  and 
36  companies  of  cavalry  for  9  months. 

Also  50,000  recruits  for  old  three  years'  regiments — a  grand 
aggregate  of  370;349  men;  an  average  of  about  82,211  per 
month. 

Under  the  proposition  (accepted  by  the  President  April  23d, 
1864,)  of  the  Governors  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Iowa  and 
Wisconsin,  to  furnish  85,000  one-hundred-day  troops,  the  Gov 
ernor  of  Stan  ton's  native  State,  Ohio,  in  response  to  the  War 
Department  call  of  May  1st,  ordered  the  contribution  of  the 
State  to  rendezvous  in  the  various  counties,  at  the  most  eligible 
places,  on  the  2d  day  of  May.  Seven  and  one-half  o'clock  p.  M., 
the  same  date,  reports  recited  38,000  men  in  camp.  In  twelve 
days  36,254  men  were  organized  into  41  regiments  and  1  bat 
talion,  mustered,  clothed,  armed,  equipped,  and  ready  for 
transportation  to  the  field.  On  the  24th  of  May,  22  dayh  from 
the  date  of  rendezvous,  the  42  regiments  embracing  the  force 
were  in  active  service. 

Here  it  will  be  of  interest  to  remember  that  from  April  15, 


10 

1861,  to  April  28,  1865,  a  period  of  about  48  consecutive 
months,  there  was  supplied  a  monthly  average,  for  the  Union 
and  Confederate  armies,  of  75,000  men,  a  large  army  in  itself. 
Considering  the  increase  in  the  population  ol  the  United  States 
since  the  rebellion,  a  sound  and  instructive  deduction  can  be 
made  relative  to  ihe  pit-sent  military  power  of  our  now  united 

country. 

DISBANDMENT. 

The  orders  for  musters-out,  issued  on  and  subsequent  to  April 
29,  1860,  brought  gladness  to  many  hearts,  and  the  gallant  men 
who  had,  after  a  vast  sacrifice  of  life  and  health,  caused  peace 
to  dawn,  were  anxious  to  pass  from  the  army  to  civil  life,  which 
they  did  aso  quietly  that  it  was  scarcely  known  save  by  the 
welcome  to  their  homes." 

The  soldiers  and  the  people  were  tiivd  of  war.  For  with 
truth  IIMS  it  been  said,  that  "in  six  hundred  and  twenty-five 
battles  and  severe  skirmishes  blood  flowed  like  water.  It 
streamed  over  the  grassy  plains;  it  stained  the  rocks;  the  under 
growth  of  the  forest  was  red  with  it;  and  the  armies  marched 
on  with  majestic  courage  from  one  conflict  to  another,  knowing 
that  they  w^re  fighting  for  GOD  and  Liberty." 

The  rapidity  with  which  the  work  of  disbandment  was  exe 
cuted  will  be  apparent  from  the  fact  that,  to  August -7th,  640, 
806  troops  had  been  mustered  out;  August  22d,  719,338; 
September  14th,  741,107;  October  15th,  785,205;  November 
15th,  800,963;  January  20th,  1866,  918,733;  February  loth, 
952,452;  March  10th,  967,887;  May  1st,  986;782;  June  30th, 
1,010,670;  November  1st,  1,023,021— leaving  then  in  service 
11,043  volunteers,  colored  and  white. 

The  command  of  Sherman  (Army  of  the  Tennessee  and  Army 
of  Georgia)  ;md  the  Arrny  of  the  Potomac  were  the  first  to 
complete  their  musters-out,  entirely.  Regiments  commenced 
leaving  Sherman's  command,  then  numbering,  present  and 
absent,  116,183  officers  and  men,  from  the  rendezvous,  near 
Washington  on  the  29th  of  May,  and  on  the  1st  of  August 
the  last  one  of  the  regiments  mustered  out  left  Louisville, 


11 

Kentucky,  to  which  point  the  command  (after  the  musters  out 
therefrom  were  partly  completed)  was  transferred,  and  the  ar 
mies  composing  it  merged  into  one,  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee. 
The  work  of  mustering  out  the  troops  was  not  continuous — it  was 
interrupted  and  delayed  by  the  transier  of  the  two  armies  from 
Washington  to  Louisville,  and  their  subsequent  consolidation. 

liegiments  commenced  leaving  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
(numbering,  including  the  9th  Corps,  161,851  officers  and  men, 
present  and  abs  -nt)  from  the  rendezvous  near  Washington  on 
the  29th  of  May,  and  about  six  weeks  thereafter  (July  19th) 
the  last  regiment  started  tor  home.  During  the  interval,  the 
work,  like  that  oi  Sherman's  command,  was  not  continuous. 
It  was  interrupted  and  delayed  by  the  movement  of  the  6th 
Corps  from  Danville,  Virginia,  to  Washington,  and  the  consol 
idation,  by  orders  of  June  28th,  of  the  remaining  portion  of  the 
army  into  a  provisional  corps,  numbering  present  and  absent, 
22,699  officers  and  men. 

Thus,  for  the  two  commands  in  question,  and  between  the 
29th  of  May  and  the  1st  of  August  (two  months)  279,034  offi 
cers  and  men,  present  and  absent,  were  mustered  out  and  placed 
en  route  to  their  homes. 

Including  the  other  armies  and  departments,  the  number  was 
increased  by  August  7th  (two  months  and  seven  days)  to  640. 
806  officers  and  men. 

Had  it  been  possible  to  spare  all  the  volunteers,  the  entire 
number,  1,034,064  could  easily  have  been  disbanded  and  re 
turned  to  their  homes  within  three  months  from  the  date  (May 
29th,  1865,)  the  movement  homeward  commenced. 

In  Macauley's  England,  we  find  the  following  relative  to  the 
disbandment  of  Cromwell's  army: 

"The  troops  were  now  to  be  disbanded.  Fifty  thousand  men 
accostomed  to  the  profession  of  arms  were  at  once  thrown  on 
the  world ;  and  experience  seemed  to  warrant  the  belief  that 
this  change  would  produce  much  misery  and  crime,  that  the 
discharged  veterans  would  be  seen  begging  in  every  street,  or 
would  be  driven  by  hunger  to  pillage.  But  no  such  result  fol- 


12 

tower!.  In  a  few  months  there  remained  not  a  trace  indicating 
that  the  most  formidable  army  in  the  world  had  just  been  ab 
sorbed  into  the  mass  of  the  community.  The  royalists  them 
selves  confessed  that  in  every  department  of  honest  industry 
the  discharged  warriors  prospered  beyond  other  men,  and  that 
none  was  charged  with  any  theft,  or  robbery,  that  none  was 
heard  to  ask  an  alms,  and  that,  if  a  baker,  a  mason,  or  a 
wagoner,  attracted  notice  by  his  diligence  and  sobriety,  he  was 
in  all  probability  one  of  Oliver's  old  soldiers." 

A  greater  eulogy  was  won  by  the  magnificent  volunteer  army 
of  the  United  States,  aggregating  more  than  1,000,000  men,  a 
force  more  than  twenty  times  the  size  of  that  referred  to  by  the 
English  historian. 

When  the  time  for  disban'dment  had  arrived,  Governors  of 
States  and  other  distinguished  men — all  having  deeply  at  heart 
the  good  of  the  country — were  apprehensive  that  so  great  a 
force,  suddenly  released  from  military  restraint  and  employment 
would  create  disturbance  throughout  the  country.  The  Sec 
retary  of  War  was  requested  to  provide  troops  to  maintain 
order.  He  did  not  view  the  fears  of  others  as  well  founded, 
and  made  reply,  in  substance:  that  "if  we  could  not  trust  the 
soldiers  who  had  subdued  the  rebellion,  we  might  as  well  yield 
the  life  of  the  republic.  He  acted  in  accordance  with  his  views, 
and  beyond  sending  troops  to  take  care  of  the  depots 
wherein  was  stored  the  public  property,  turned  over  by  the 
volunteers  to  the  respective  supply  departments,  precautions 
against  disturbance  were  not  taken. 

MOVEMENTS  OF  TROOPS  LONG  DISTANCES  WITHIN  SHOUT 
PERIODS  OF  TIME. 

1.  The  transfer  in  1863,  by  rail,  of  the  12th  Army  Corps, 
the  command  aggregating    23,000    men — accompanied  by  its 
artillery,  trains,  animals  and  baggage— from  the  Rapid  an,  in 
Virginia,  to  Stevenson  in  Alabama,  a  distance  of  1,192  miles  in 
seven  days,  crossing  the  Ohio  river  twice. 

2.  The  transfer  of  the  23d  Army  Corps,  15,000  strong,  with 
its  artillery,  trains,  animals  and  baggage,  from  Clifton,  Tennes- 


13 

See,  via  the  Tennessee  and  Ohio  rivers,  and  Baltimore  and 
Ohio  Railroad,  to  the  Potomac,  in  eleven  days  — distance  1,400 
miles.  This  movement  commenced  January  15th,  1865,  within 
five  days  after  the  movement  had  been  determined  upon  in 
Washington.  It  was  continued  by  water,  to  North  Carolina, 
where,  early  in  February,  Wilmington  was  captured.  March 
22d,  when  the  right  wing  of  Sherman's  army  reached  Golds- 
born,  it  found  there  the  corps,  which. a  short  time  prior  had 
been  encamped  on  the  Tennessee. 

The  movement  was  much  impeded  by  sovere  weather — 
rivers  were  blocked  with  ice,  and  railroads  rendered  hazardous 
by  frost  and  snow. 

3.  The  transfer,  by' water,  of  the   16th   Army   Corp?,   from 
Eastport,  Tennessee  to  New  Orleans.     The  entire  command, 
including  a  brigade  of  Artillery  and  a  division  of  Cavalry,  con 
sisted  of  17,314  men;  1,038  horses;  2, 731  mules;  351  wagons, 
and  83  ambulances.     Three  days  were  required  to  embark  it  on 
40  steamers.     The  fleet  sailed  on  the  9th  of  February,  1865, 
and    the  command  arrived  at    New    Orleans  on    the    23d — a 
distance  of  1,330  miles  in  13  days. 

4.  The  transfer,  by  sea,  from  City  Point,  Virginia,  to  Texas, 
of  the  25th  Army  Corps,  25,000  strong,  with  its  artillery,  am 
munition,  ambulances,  wagons,  harness, 'subsistence,  and  2,000 
horses  and  mules. 

The  embarkation  took  place  between  May  26th  and  June 
17th,  1865  and  the  debarkation,  at  Brazos  Santiago,  between 
June  13th  and  26th.  The  movement  required  a  fleet  of  57 
ocean  steamers  ;  entire  tonage — 56,987  tons.  All  of  the  vessels 
were  provided  tor  a  12  days  voyage — 947  tons  of  coal  and  50, 
000  gallons  of  water  were  consumed  daily. 

While  this  expedition  was  afloat,  other  movements  by  sea,  in 
steam  transports,  aggregated  more  than  10,000  men,  inclusive 
of  3,000  Confederate  prisoners  pent  from  Point  Lookout  to 
Mobile.  Therefore  there  were  more  than  35,000  troops  and 
prisoners  afloat  on  the  ocean  at  the  same  time. 

5.  From  November   1st,  1863,    to  October   31st,  1864— one 


14 

year — 626,126  men  were  forwarded  to  the  field,  and  268,114 
were  returned  to  their  homes  on  furlough  and  for  discharge ; 
making  the  aggregate  of  the  movements  887,240 — embracing 
independently  of  recruits,  495  regiments  and  119  batteries  and 
companies.  The  following  year  the  aggregate  was  1,064,080, 
distributed  to  1,126  regiments,  241  batteries  and  369  companies. 

SUPPLYING  THE  ARMIES. 

The  Army  of  Sherman — embracing  100,000  men  and  60,000 
animals  was  furnished  with  supplies  from  a  ba  :-e  three  hundred 
and  sixty  (360)  miles  distant,  by  one  single-track  railroad, 
located  mainly  in  ihe  country  of  an  active  enemy.  The  effort 
taxed  and  measured  forethought,  energy,  patience  and  watch  - 
fulness,  and  is  a  most  instructive  lesson.  The  line  was  main 
tained  for  months,  until  Atlanta  was  secured,  and  supplies  for  a 
new  campaign  had  been  placed  there. 

The  army  then  moved  southeast,  through  Georgia,  accom 
panied  by  thousands  of  beef  cattle,  and  trains  embracing  3.000 
wagons  filled  with  war  supplies  arid  material. 

After  the  capture  of  Savannah,  the  command  was  promptly 
met  at  thrt  place  by  a  great  fleet,  conveying  clothing,  tentage, 
subsistence  for  soldiers  and  animals,  wagons,  harness,  ammu 
nition,  and  all  else  necessary  for  the  march  or  in  camp. 

The  necessary  supplies  were  again  in  readiness  at  Kinston 
and  Groldsboro,  through  the  agency  of  railroads  constructed  to 
those  places  from  Wilmington  and  Morehead  City — each  of  the 
two  roads  being  95  miles  in  length. 

While  the  foregoing  was  being  accomplished,  other  large  ar 
mies  in  the  east  and  west,  were  as  promptly  and  energetically 
supplied  in  all  their  wants. 

During  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30th,  1865,  the  demands 
for  water  transportation  alone,  required  a  fleet  of  719  vessels, 
(351,  steamers,  111  steam  tugs,  89  sail  vessels,  168  barges.) 

MILITARY  RAILROADS. 

The  President,  by  the  act  of  January  1st,  1862,  (General 
Order  No.  10,  Adjutant  General's  Office  of  that  year,)  was 


15 

authorized  to  take  military  possession  of  all  the  railroads  in  th^ 
United  States;  but  it  was  not  found  necessary  to  exercise  the 
authority  over  any  of  the  roads  outside  the  limits  of  the  insur 
gent  States. 

"The  military  railroad  organization,  (under  a  Director  and 
General  Manager — funds  for  its  support  being  supplied  by  the 
Quartermaster's  Department,)  was  designed  to  be  a  great  con 
struction  and  transportation  machine  for  carrying  out  the 
objects  of  the  commanding  generals,  so  far  as  it  was  adapted  to 
the  purpose,  and  it  was  managed  solely  with  a  view  to  efficacy 
in  that  direction.  It  was  the  duty  of  the  Quartermaster's 
Department  to  lend  ail  the  material  upon  the  cars,  to  direct 
where  such  material  should  be  taken,  and  to  whom  delivered. 
It  then  became  the  province  of  the  railroad  department  to  com 
ply  with  said  order  in  the  shortest  practicable  time,  and  to 
perfect  such  arrangements  as  would  enable  it  to  keep  the  lines 
in  repair  under  any  and  all  circumstances." 

Among  the  wonders  connected  with  military  railroad  con 
struction  were : 

The  Chattahoochee  bridge,  seven  hundred  and  eighty  (780) 
feet  long  and  ninety-two  (92)  feet  high,  which  was  completely 
built  in  4J  days  by  600  men. 

The  Etow^ah  bridge,  six  hundred  and  twenty-five  (625)  feet 
long,  seventy-five  (75)  feet  high,  was  burned,  and  rebuilt  by 
the  labor  of  six  hundred  (600)  men  of  the  construction  corps  in 
six  (6)  days. 

In  October,  1864,  Hood's  army  reached  the  rear  of  Sher 
man's  forces,  first  at  Big  Shanty,  afterwards  north  of  Kesaca, 
destroying,  in  the  aggregate,  35J-  miles  of  track  and  455  lineal 
feet  of  bridges.  25  miles  of  track  and  230  feet  of  bridges  were 
reconstructed  and  trains  were  run  over  the  distance  in  7J-  days. 
In  13  days  after  Hood  left  the  line  trains  were  running  over 
the  entire  length. 

Numerous  other  wonderful  efforts  are  of  record,  but  the  fore 
going  are  sufficient  to  illustrate  the  speed  with  which  the  con 
struction  corps  operated.  Commanders  had  such  confidence  in 
it  that,  in  advancing,  they  were  confident  that  the  railroads  in 


16 

their  rear  would  not  fail  to  meet  the  wants  of  their  commands. 
This  confidence  was  most  important  in  connection  with  lines  of 
operations  lengthened  in  depth,  and  resulted  from  the  knowledge 
that  "none  of  the  humanly  possible  precautions  for  basing  an 
army  had  been  neglected. 

OTHER     LOGISTICAL     MEASURES — INDICATING     THE     SCIENCE    OF 

THE  STAFF. 

The  Adjutant  General's  Department  and  the  Bureau  of  the 
Provost  Marshal-General  had  to  do  with  supplying  men  for  the 
armies  ;  the  results,  in  part,  involving  the  personnel,  have  been 
made  apparent  fiom  what  has  been  recited.  The  former,  in 
addition,  was  charged,  during  the  entire  war,  with  the  organi 
zation  and  disbandment  of  the  forces. 

The  recruitment  of  white  volunteers  was  under  the  exclusive 
control  of  the  Adjutant  General's  Department  from,  the  first 
call  for  troops  until  May,  1863,  when  it  was  placed  under  the 
Provost  Marshal  General,  to  whom,  by  law,  was  confided  the 
enrollment  and  draft,  and  thereby  the  entire  recruiting  service 
for  white  troops  was  placed  under  one  head,  and  a  great  reduc 
tion  made  in  the  expenses  of  recruitment,  through  the  more 
rigid  control  secured  by  the  enrollment  act. 

The  Adjutant  General's  Department  had  charge  of  ihe 
recruitment  of  colored  troops,  and  the  re-enlistment  of  the  vet 
eran  volunteers  in  the  field.  The  plan  for  the  recruitment  of 
the  126,000  veterans,  who  received  the  thanks  of  Congress,  was 
devised  and  prepared  by  the  Provost  Marshal  General,  and 
relative  thereto  Stanton  has  said:  "I  know  of  no  operation 
connected  with  the  recruitment  of  the  army  which  has  resulted 
in  more  advantage  to  the  service  than  the  one  referred  to." 

The  Departments  of  the  Adjutant  General  and  Provost  Mar 
shal  General  recruited,  respectively,  1,515,264  and  1,120,621 
men. 

Involving  the  material,  through  the  supply  departments,  we 
find  that  during  the  whole  war,  there  was  no  failure  of  opera 
tions  through  lack  of  transportation  or  the  supplies  required  of 
the  Quartermaster's  Department.  Its  vast  and  varied  stores 


17 

h;irl  not  only  to  be  ready  at  numerous  and  widely  extended 
points,  when  needed,  but  it  had  to  transport  to  all  points,  there 
to  be  in  readiness  at  the  proper  time,  the  extensive  quantities 
of  prDvisions,  medical  and  hospital  stores,  arms  and  ammunition 
provided  by  the  other  supply  departments. 

The  Army  mule,  for  the  purposes  of  the  draft  behaved  nobly, 
and  bore  the  conscription  without  being  able  to  express  a  desire 
to  furnish  a  substitute.  On  his  roll  oi  honor  we  find  450,000 
serving  in  the  various  armies.  650,000  horses  joined  the  ranks  ; 
and  the  third  year  of  the  war  the  field  armies  require' 1  for  the 
cavalry,  artillery  and  trains,  one-half  as  mary  animals  as  there 
were  soldiers. 

As  the  mules  and  horses  had,  as  a  general  thing,  to  labor 
away  from  water  and  rail  lines  they  gave  but  little  attention  to 
the  mechanical  manoeuvres  of  719  steam  and  sail  vessels  in 
service  at  one  time  during  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1865, 
and  the  419  engines  and  6,330  cars  employed  during  the  war. 

The  soldier  necessarily  preferred  the  mail  for  his  correspond 
ence  ;  he  did  not  confine  himself  to  a  single  line,  and,  as  a 
result,  the  1,000,000,000  telegrams  trasmitted  by  the  military 
telegraph  were  mostly  on  official  business. 

Good  and  wholesome  rations  were  uniformly  supplied  by  the 
subsistence  department,  and  there  was  not  a  campaign,  expe 
dition  or  movement  that  failed  on  account  of  the  inability  of  the 
department  to  meet  all  proper  requirements.  It  is  true  that, 
generally,  the  bread  was  rather  hard,  yet,  nevertheless,  it  was 
tackled  and  freely  consumed. 

The  Medical  Department  made  ample  provisions  for  the  sick 
•ind  wounded  from  the  first.  Aside  from  the  vast  accommoda 
tions  elsewhere,  Sherman's  army  found  at  Savannah  four  first- 
class  sea  steamers,  complete  in  all  respects  as  hospital  trans 
ports,  with  extra  supplies  for  5,000  beds,  had  it  been  necessary 
to  establish  large  hospitals  on  his  line  of  operations.  Complaint 
was  never  made  as  to  a  shortage  of  medicine  ;  generally  it  was 
found  that  the  supply  exceeded  any  demand  based  on  the 
soldiers'"  taste. 


18 

The  Government  had  an  abundance  of  money  wherewith  to- 
nieet  its  sacred  obligations,  and  the  Pay  Department  kept  its- 
pledge  "to  make  prompt  payments  in  the  shortest  practicable 
lime." 

When  the  war  commenced  the  Government  was  forced  to 
obtain  from  foreign  countries  almost  the  entire  supply  of  arms 
and  ammunitions,  but  in  1863  the  Ordnance  Department 
became  independent  through  home  resources,  both  for  the 
manufactured  articles  and  the  material  composing  them. 

Aside  from  contributing  to  the  command  of  armies,  the  offi 
cers  of  the  Corps  of  Engineers  were  charged  with  important 
labors  in  connection  with  the  dei'enses  of  Washington  and  other 
places  ;  the  reconnoisance  of  positions  held  by  the  enemy  ;  the 
investment  of  cities  and  towns ;  the  fortilying  of  important 
points  on  railroads  ;  the  construction  of  offensive  and  defensive 
fortifications  necessary  to  the  march  of  large  armies ;  the 
manoeuvring  of  pontoon  trains  ;  surveys  for  the  armies  in  the 
field,  and  the  seacoast  and  lake  dei'enses. 

The  ability  and  efficiency  of  its  officers  were  notably  illus 
trated  in  the  construction  of  the  pontoon  bridge  (exclusive  of 
200  feet  of  trestle  work)  over  2,000  feet  long — the  main  part 
in  deep  water,  in  some  places  85  feet — across  the  James  Kiver 
above  Fort  Powhatan,  by  450  men  in  five  hours,  between  5  and 
10  o'clock  p.  M.,  June  15,  1864.  Over  this  single  irail  struc 
ture  passe; I — mainly  in  forty  hours — the  army,  about  100,000 
men  under  Grant,  with  cavalry,  artillery  and  infantry,  and 
trains  embracing  about  5,000  wagons,  besides  3,000  beef  cattle, 
without  an  accident  to  an  individual  man  or  animal.  This 
movement,  one  of  the  most  important  on  record,  took  place 
during  the  fifth  epoch  of  the  grand  campaign,  from  the  Rapidan 
to  the  James,  which  ripened  May  4th,  1864. 

The  passage,  in  all  its  attending  circumstances,  may  well 
stand  forth  brilliantly  If  it  does  not  surpass,  it  will  compare 
favorably  with  the  passage  of  the  Danube,  before  Wagram,  by 
150,000  of  Napoleon's  forces,  through  the  agency  of  three 


19 

bridges — in  all  1,360  feet — thrown  over  an  arm  of  that  river 
140  yards  wide. 

The  Signal  Service  was  particularly  valuable  in  observing 
and  reporting  the  changes  and  movements  of  the  enemy,  and 
connecting  the  army  and  navy  when  employed  in  combined  oper 
ations,  thus  enabling  the  two  branches  of  the  service  to  act  as 
a  unit.  Oftentimes  the  services  were  of  vital  importance  by 
furnishing  information  that  could  not  hav*  been  had  otherwise, 
notably  as  referred  to  by  Sherman,  as  follows  : 

"When  the  enemy  had  cut  our  wires  and  actually  made 
lodgement  on  our  railroad  about  Big  Shanty,  the  signal  officers 
on  Vining's  Hill,  Kenesaw,  and  Altoona,  sent  my  orders  to  Gen 
eral  Corse,  at  Rome,  whereby  General  Corse  was  enabled  to 
reach  Altoona  just  in  time  to  defend  it.  Had  it  not  been  for  the 
services  of  this  corps  on  that  occasion,  I  am  satisfied  we  should 
have  lost  the  garrison  at  Altoona,  and  a  most  valuable  deposi 
tory  of  provisions  there,  which  was  worth  to  us  more  than  the 
aggregate  expense  of  the  whole  signal  corps  for  one  year.  " 

Again,  the  late  Brigadier  General  Myer,  as  Chief  Signal 
Officer,  has  said  : 

"The  officers  of  the  Signal  Corps  opened  the  first  direct  com 
munication  from  the  Upper  to  the  Lower  Mississippi,  when 
Rear  Admiral  Farragut,  running  past  the  batteries  of  Port 
Hudson,  found  himself,  after  the  perilous  passage,  cut  off  above 
that  fortress  from  the  vessels  of  his  fleet  which  could  not  follow 
him,  and  were  lying  in  the  stream  below. 

"There  is  not,  perhaps,  on  record,  a  feat  of  aerial  telegraphy 
such  as  that  thus  and  then  performed,  when  from  the  topmast 
of  the  flagship  of  the  Admiral,  lying  above  the  fort,  messages 
were  regularly  transmitted  past^the  guns  of  the  fortress  to  a 
station  on  the  mast-top  of  the  war  vessel  Richmond,  fi^e  or  six 
miles  below." 

STANTON. 

It  has  been  said  that  Stanton  dominated  the  President  to  the 
extent  of  disregarding  orders  and.  instructions.  While  he  ever 
readily  considered  Stanton's  advice,  I  had  frequent  opportu 
nities  of  observing  that  the  President  was  the  controlling  power, 
— the  master  as  was  his  wont  to  say.  I  well  remember  an 


20 

order  given  atone  time  which  the  Secretary  deemed  based  upon 
misconception.  I  was  instructed  to  take  the  case  to  the  President 
and  invite  his  consideration  to  its  prominent  points.  On  reach 
ing  the  Executive  Mansion  I  found  the  President  in  the  reception 
room  surrounded  by  a  large  number  of  persons.  He  immediately 
recoi>;nized  me,  stepped  forward  and  conducted  me  into  the  most 
retired  corner  of  the  room.  .4-fter  I  had  stated  the  object  of  my 
visit,  he  said :  Stanton  is  careful  and  may  be  right.  I  was 
very  busy  when  I  examined  the  case,  but  I  will  take  the  papers, 
re-examine,  and  by  four  o'clock  this  afternoon  send  them  by  mes 
senger  to  your  office.  Before  the  hour  indicated,  the  papers  were 
in  my  hands.  The  President  had  revoked  his  order  an~l  affirmed 
the  decision  of  the  Secretary.  The  case  is  illustrative  of  the 
official  relations  .between  the  two  great  men. 

The  allegation  that  Stan  ton's  death  was  the  result  of  a  self- 
inflicted  wound  is  refuted,  abundantly,  by  the  letter  from  Sur 
geon-General  Barnes,  dated  April  16,  1879,  to  the  editor  of 
the  Philadelphia  Press  ;  but  I  may  here  state  that  after  Stan- 
ton's  death  I  often  saw  his  body,  and,  frequently,  was  very  near 
it,  and  I  remained  at  the  house  for  the  main  portion  of  the 
night  preceding  the  interment  of  the  remains  ;  consequently  I 
was  in  a  position  to  have  noticed  self-inflicted  injury  had  there 
been  any. 

To  a  private  soldier  I  have  known  him  to  give  audience  when 
his  leisure  WHS  so  pressed  as  to  cause  an  interview  with  officers 
of  high  rank  to  be  refused,  and  yet  the  warmth  of  his  heart,  as 
attested  by  the  War  Department  records,  was  found  going  out 
at  all  times,  through  measures  calculated  to  enhance  the  com 
fort  and  protect  the  interests  of  the  members — officers  and 
men — of  the  armies  of  the  Union. 

His  devotion  to"  the  public  welfare  was  such  as  to  find  him  at 
his  desk,  not  only  during  the  day,  but  at  night  until  near  the 
dawn — not  satisfied  to  go  to  his  home  for  needed  rest  until  the 
most  that  could  be  had  been  accomplished.  And  when  really 
ill  during  many  nights  of  prolonged  labor,  a  devoted  and  entreat 
ing  wife,  who  had  come  injrthe  hours  of  morning  to  accompany 


21 

him  from  his  office,  often  failed  to  break  the  vigil  devoted  to 
the  public  interest. 

Often,  at  midnight,  I  have  found  myself  with  important 
papers  before  him  for  consideration,  the  labors  of  the  day  having 
so  pressed  him  as  to  prevent  his  necessary  action  during  the 
usual  hours  of  duty  ;  and  on  more  than  one  occasion  did  he  fall 
asleep  before  I  had  finished,  so  great  was  his  fatigue. 

The  great  strain  eventually  did  its  work,  and  at  times  he  had, 
from  illness,  to  remain  at  his  house.  On  one  of  these  occasions 
his  old-time  friend,  Governor  Brough,  of  Ohio,  telegraphed  to  me 
to  know  Mr.  Stanton's  condition.  I  went  to  his  house,  and, 
after  reading  the  telegram,  he  said  he  would  answer  it  himself, 
and  attempted  to  do  so  ;  but  his  great  strength  had  so  far 
weakened  that  he  could  not  wield  the  pen,  and,  with  tremulous 
voice  and  tearful  eyes,  he  bade  me  make  the  necessary  reply. 

Endowed  with  greatness  of  intellect,  coupled  with  super 
human  energy  and  industry,  he  was  eminently  gifted  in  dis 
patching  public  affairs.  While  strictly  honest,  he  was  so 
blindly  devoted  to  the  cause  of  the  Union,  and  so  rigid  in  the 
view,  that  self-preservation  was  paramount  to  all  other  consid 
erations,  that  before  him  justice,  at  times,  seemed  powerless, 
and  personal  rights  passed  for  trifles. 

But  in  spite  of  elements  of  his  character  which  stand  not 
approved,  he  stood  well  forward  as  to  ''that,  impersonal  life 
which  is  the  fullest  definition,  as  well  as  the  truest  test,  alike 
of  goodness  and  greatness,"  and  his  great  ability  and  the  force 
of  his  will  made  him  eminently  successful  in  the  high  office  of 
War  Minister  when  treason  and  rebellion  were  abroad.  It  has 
been  well  said  that  his  training,  as  an  advocate,  so  strengthened 
his  devotion  to  a  cause  when  adopted,  that  even  if  he  had  not 
loved  the  cause  of  the  Union  he  would  have  labored  for  it 
intensely  because  he  was  retained  in  it.  With  his  qualifica 
tions  and  the  delegation  of  almost  unbounded  military  authority, 
he  was  the  right  arm  of  the  Executive  of  the  Nation  "in  smiting 
treason  and  rebellion  and  re-establishing  the  foundation  of  the 
Government." 


22 

His  genius  as  a  ruler  and  organizer,  and  ability  to  reach 
grand  results  with  vigor  and  masterly  skill,  are  found  in  the 
public  archives,  endurably  recorded. 

Cameron  said  of  Stan ton  in  June,  1878  :  "He  was  a  great, 
big,  brave,  loyal  man  ;  perhaps  too  harsh  and  quick-tempered 
in  his  treatment  of  those  around  him,  but,  nevertheless,  a  thor 
oughly  good  and  well-meaning  man.  He  had  terrible  respon 
sibilities  which  at  times  cause  him  to  be  exacting  almost  to  the 
very  verge  of  injustice,  but  I  am  sure  that  he  always  intended 
to  do  right,  and  there  is  no  doubt  he  was  in  every  way  the  man 
best  fitted  for  the  place  in  the  Government  which  he  was  called 
upon  to  fill.  He  was  a  man  ot  wonderful  strength,  not  only  of 
mind  but  of  body,  yet  even  he  gave  way  under  the  constant, 
the  never-ending  strain  which  was  put,  upon  all  his  faculties. 
His  death  was  hastened  by,  if  not  the  direct  result  of,  overwork 
in  the  War  Department." 

LINCOLN. 

It  was  a  frequent  thing  for  the  President  to  visit  my  office, 
thus  to  obtain  direct  information.  He  was  particularly  inter 
ested  in  the  success  of  the  recruitment,  and  for  his  own  conve 
nience  he  personally  tabulated  the  daily  telegraphic  reports  on 
a  slip  of  paper.  After  he  had  made  the  necessary  record,  he 
would  roll  tiie  slip  around  a  short  lead  pencil  and  place  it  in 
his  vest  pocket  from  which  he  would  take  it  during  the  ensuing 
visit.  If  the  number  of  men  obtained  was  satisfactory  he  would 
sit  for  a  brief  time  conversing  brightly  ;  but  if  otherwise,  the 
enlarged  furrows  of  care  on  his  face  would  indicate  the  sadness 
of  his  disappointment,  and,  without  a  word,  he  would  depart. 

These  interviews  indicated  his  great  simplicity  of  character; 
but,  withal,  there  was  ever  with  him  the  marked  dignity  of  a 
noble  manhood. 

Soon  after  the  act  of  July  17,  1862,  authorizing  persons  of 
African  descent  to  be  received  into  the  service  of  the  United 
States,  and  before  the  President  had  decided  fully  what  he 
would  do  under  It,  but  ajj^i  date  when  tho  good  results  that 


23 

would  follow  the  enactment  were  obvious  to  him,  he  received 
an  application — it  may  have,  been  from  a  Mr.  Black  or  a  Mr. 
Brown — to  raise  a  regiment.  In  his  characteristic  way  he 
•endorsed  the  application:  "Referred  to  the  Secretary  of  War. 
This  gentleman  wishes  to  engage  in  the  ebony  trade. 
A.  Lincoln." 

After  the  colored  troops  had  won  their  reputation — when  it 
was  recognized  that  their  colors  were  guarded  with  as  much 
patriotic  care  as  though  lalismanic  virtues  clustered  around 
them — he  said  that  their  employment  was  one  of  the  greatest 
blows  dealt  to  the  rebellion,  and,  in  hoping  that  peace  would 
«oon  be  permanent,  added  :  "Then  will  there  be  some  black 
men  who  can  remember  that  they  have  helped  to  this  great 
consummation."  Commencing  with  Milliken's  Bend,  June 
7th,  18637  General  Grant  frequently  complimented  the  colored 
troops,  mucii  to  the  President's  gratification. 

The  President,  on  one  occasion,  in  defining  the  franchise,  said 
that  some  of  the  colored  people  "might  be  let  in"  "they 

would  probably  help,  ir-  some  trying  time  to  come,  to  keep  the 
jewel  of  liberty  in  the  family  of  freedom." 

Hallam,  when  writing  of  Charlemagne,  and  the  epoch  made 
by  that  great  Emperor  in  the  history  of  the  world,  by  advancing 
civilization  and  regenerating  Western  Europe,  used  words 
which  may  be  applied  to  Lincoln  :  His  sceptre  was  as  the  bow 
of  Ulysses  which  could  not  be  drawn  by  a  weaker  hand.  He 
stood  alone,  like  a  beacon  upon  a  waste,  or  a  rock  in  the  broad 
ocean.  Plis  deeds  have  cast  a  luster  around  his  head,  and 
testify  the  greatness  that  has  umbodi-'d  itself  in  his  name. 

THE  CLOSING  HOURS. 

April  14,  1865,  I  had,  about  ten  o'clock  p.  M.,  returned  from 
the  War  Department  to  my  house,  and  very  soon  thereafter  was 
informed  by  a  cousin  of  Mrs.  Lincoln — Dr.  Lyman  Beecher  Todd  7 
of  Lexington,  Kentucky — that  the  President  had  been  assas 
sinated,  and  the  members  of  his  cabinet  attacked  I  at  once 
hurried  to  the  house  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  and  there  found 


24 

the  family  greatly  alarmed  and  excited ;  but  the  Secretary,  just 
prior  to  my  arrival,  had  started  for  Mr.  Seward's  residence.  I 
followed  and  there  learned  that  he  had  gone  to  the  scene  of  the 
tragedy  on  10th  street;  on  reaching:  the  latter  place  I  found 
him  at  the  house  to  which  the  President  had  been  taken  irom 
Ford's  Theatre.  I  remained  there,  near  the  Secretary,  and  at 
his  request,  during  the  night.' 

About  1.30  P.  M.,  he  said  that  the  wound  was  mortal;  that  the 
President  was  then  dying,  and  that  it  was  not  probable  he  would 
live  through  the  night.  He  was  greatly  saddened  and  referred 
to  the  change  of  scene  from  that  at  the  Cabinet  meeting,  a  few 
hours  before,  at  which  General  Grant  was  present,  when  the 
state  of  the  country  and  the  prospect  of  a  speedy  peace  were 
discussed.  He  stated  that  the  President  during  the  meeting 
was  hopeful  and  very  cheerful,  and  had  spoken  kindly  of  General 
Lee  and  others  of  the  Confederacy.  He  informed  me  that  it 
would  be  necessary  to  stand  prepared  to  communicate  the  Pres 
ident's  death  to  the  Vice-President,  and  soon  thereaiter,  handed 
me  the  rough  draft  of  the  formal  notification  from  which  I  pre 
pared  a  fair  copy,  and  held  it  until  after  the  President's  death ; 
which  was  officially  announced  at  7.55  A.  M.,  April  15,  by  a 
telegram  from  the  Secretary  to  Major  General  Dix,  as  follows : 

"Abraham  Lincoln  died  this  morning  at  twenty-two  minutes 
after  7  o'clock." 

The  notification  to  the  Vice  President  was  duly  signed  and 
communicated,  as  recited  in  a  subsequent  telegram,  as  follows: 

''Official  notice  of  the  death  of  the  late  President,  Abraham 
Lincoln,  was  given  by  the  Heads  of  Departments  this  morning 
to  Andrew  Johnson,  Vice-President,  upon  whom  the  Constitu 
tion  devolved  the  office  of  President,  Mr.  Johnson,  upon 
receiving  this  notice,  appeared  before  the  Honorable  Salmon  P. 
Chase,  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States,  and  took  the  oath  of 
office  as  President  of  the  United  States,  and  assumed  its  duties 
and  functions." 

The  death-bed  scenes  were  harrowing  in  the  extreme.  Sur 
rounding  and  near  the  illustrious  one,  who  was  insensible  from 


25 

the  first,  in  consequence  of  his  mortal  wound,  from  which  his 
life's  blood  was  oozing,  were  the  sobbing,  grief-stricken  wife,  all 
the  members  of  the  Cabinet  save  Mr.  Seward,  and  others  in 
civil  and  military  circles.  As  the  sure  approach  of  death  was 
noticed,  the  deep  sad  gloom  increased,  and,  at  the  solemn 
moment,  it  seemed  that  it  had  extended  to  Heaven  to  be  from 
there  promulgated  back  to  Earth  through  the  agency  of  deep 
sable  clouds.  The  attendant  drops  of  rain  seemed  to  have  been 
sent  to  mingle,  sorrowfully,  with  the  tears  of  the  Nation. 

Soon  after-  8  o'clock  the  devoted  War  Minister  had  ordered' 
all  to  be  arranged  for  the  removal  of  the  body  to  the  Executive 
Mansion,  and  then  left  me,  as  his  representative,  until  after  the 
transfer  should  take  place.  It  was  about  this  time  that,  after 
pressing  and  smoothing  the  eyes  of  the  dead  President,  I  placed 
coins  on  them  to  close  them  for  a  last  long  slumber. 

"Softly  heroic  the  life  had  been  all  through";  and  he  who  had 
loved  and  served  his  country  so  well,  was,  at  the  final 
instant,  sealed  for  preservation  in  that  repository  of  abundance- 
the  love  of  his  countrymen. 

To  quote  again  from  Bancroft's  fitting  words: 

"Where  in  the  history  of  nations,  had  a  Chief  Magistrate 
possessed  more  sources  of  consolation  and  joy  than  Lincoln  ? 
His  countrymen  had  shown  their  love  by  choosing  him  to  a 
second  term  of  service.  The  raging  war  that  had  divided  the 
country  had  lulled,  and  private  grief  was  hushed  by  the  grand 
eur  of  the  result.  The  nation  had  its  new  birth  of-  freedom, 
soon  to  be  secured  forever  by  an  amendment  to  the  constitution. 
His  persistent  gentleness  had  conquered  for  him  a  kindlier 
feeling  on  the  part  of  the  South.  His  scoffers  among  the  gran 
dees  of  Europe  began  to  do  him  honor.  The  laboring  classes 
everywhere  saw  in  his  advancement  their  own.  All  peoples 
sent  him  their  benedictions.  And  at  this  moment  of  the  height 
of  his  fame,  to  which  his  humility  and  modesty  added  charms, 
he  fell  by  the  hand  of  an  assassin;  and  the  only  triumph  awarded 
him  was  the  march  to  the  grave.  ******** 
Not  in  vain  has  LINCOLN  lived,  for  he  has  helped  to  make 
this  republic  an  example  of  Justice,  with  no  caste  but  the  caste 


26 


led 
* 


our  armies 
*      *     did 


of  humanity.     *     *     *  The  heroes  who 

and  ships  into  battle  and  fell  in  the  service, 
not  die  in  vain;  they,  and  the  myriads  of  nameless  martyrs,  and 
he,  the  chief  martyr,  gave  up  their  lives  willingly,  'that  gov 
ernment  of  the  people,  by  the  people,  and  Tor  the  people,  shall 
not  perish  from  the  earth.'  ' 


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•v 


1933 


OCT  31  1946 


MAR  1     1266 
10MV56Kf 

6  J956 


INTER  LIBRARY 
LOAN 

Ov!£  MONTH  AFTER  RECEIPT 
NON-RENEWABLJE 
AUG  1  9  1959 


LD  21-50m-l,'33 


• 


.$> 


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